I made the welches grape juice wine and really like it... wife asked me today when I was gonna make another batch of wine and asked me to make the white grape raspberry....I have the yeast and nutrient and sugar here and she is gonna bring the concentrate home this afternoon.....could I start the yeast with a little water...sugar ...and nutrient?....or is that a waste of time with wine yeast?
Welches white grape raspberry
- Thread starter OHIOSTEVE
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I don't think it's necessary but I don't really have a definitive answer for you. Sure want to know how this turns out though, I enjoyed the welch's wine too. I started a white grape batch a while back that I need to bottle soon- I added a handful of raisins to secondary to add body.
I would say go ahead and start that yeast a bit early- I know that now that it is winter and much cooler in my home,it does take the yeast a bit to get going, so a little head start probably will not hurt a thing.
I'm getting ready to start a Welches white grape and peach today with honey instead of sugar, but am going to put the raisins in the primary.
I am glad to see that others are making the welches juice wines too! and that they come out good.
I'm getting ready to start a Welches white grape and peach today with honey instead of sugar, but am going to put the raisins in the primary.
I am glad to see that others are making the welches juice wines too! and that they come out good.
summersolstice
Well-Known Member
Is this dry yeast? If so, you don't need, or even want, a starter. Simply rehydrate, without stirring, with 100F water for 15-20 minutes. If you have Go-Ferm, so much the better. Do not use a yeast energizer/nutrient that contains Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) when you hydrate your yeast.
I would not. dry yeast doesn't need a starter....and plain sugar is not a good way to make a starter. its not the same kind of sugar in the fruit juice, so you'll end up giving the yeast an affinity to consume the wrong kind of sugar.
my other comment is about acid levels in the juice. normally in a grape wine you'd need to add acid and probably some pectic enzyme. However raspberries have a fair amount of acidity already, so you probably don't need to add much if any acid blend to this batch.
my other comment is about acid levels in the juice. normally in a grape wine you'd need to add acid and probably some pectic enzyme. However raspberries have a fair amount of acidity already, so you probably don't need to add much if any acid blend to this batch.
So starting your yeast in a little bit of the juice that you use for the wine is not a good thing? that is what I have been doing, just sprinkling it in about 1/4 cup of the juice and covering well and putting in a somewhat warm place for a few hours before I put everything together and after shaking the air into the juice and sugars etc... I pour the yeasty juice in last and then airlock it.
vvolf27
Well-Known Member
I think Summersolstice is saying not to start it in sugar water, because it would get the yeast used to the wrong type of sugar...
I have read warm water or a water must mixture.
I have only brewed to differents things as of right now, but so far I have just thrown the yeast on top and washed down the funnel with a little extra juice.
I have only used EC 1118 and by the next morning things are bubbling.
I have read warm water or a water must mixture.
I have only brewed to differents things as of right now, but so far I have just thrown the yeast on top and washed down the funnel with a little extra juice.
I have only used EC 1118 and by the next morning things are bubbling.
not so much a bad thing...as a 'you shouldn't need to' thing. if the yeast sachet says "sprinkle on top of the must"...then do that. if it recommends a starter or proofing...do that.
i was just listening to a podcast today on mead making, and Ken Schramm was saying that when using dry yeast and adding it to the must, the more surface area the better. that give the yeast more contact with the must to hydrate, and more contact with the air to go through the reproduction phase.
after hearing that I'm not sure I'll ever hydrate dry yeast in a small pyrex dish again. it just made sense, since I already knew the basics of the yeast lifecycle.
i was just listening to a podcast today on mead making, and Ken Schramm was saying that when using dry yeast and adding it to the must, the more surface area the better. that give the yeast more contact with the must to hydrate, and more contact with the air to go through the reproduction phase.
after hearing that I'm not sure I'll ever hydrate dry yeast in a small pyrex dish again. it just made sense, since I already knew the basics of the yeast lifecycle.
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
OK put the wine together just now
I used
10 cans of welches white grape raspberry concentrate
6 pounds granulated sugar
( as per the suggestion of very little if any acid blend}
1/2 tsp acid blend+ No idea why as I really don't understand this so I just guessed.
started with 5 pounds sugar and added another pound to get the OG to 1.090 (
I used
10 cans of welches white grape raspberry concentrate
6 pounds granulated sugar
( as per the suggestion of very little if any acid blend}
1/2 tsp acid blend+ No idea why as I really don't understand this so I just guessed.
started with 5 pounds sugar and added another pound to get the OG to 1.090 (
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
I just checked the gravity on this and it is alrerady down to .998 or so..I tasted the sample and it was horrid...full of yeast and bitter as all hell.... I transferred to a clean carboy and will let it set for a while then stabilize and clear it. I am gonna HAVE to sweeten this one up some...
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
tasted a bit of this and it ws very good the other day...degassed it and let it set another week then bottled it. It is really BAD again...bitter and hot. Hopefully it will smotth back out with age.
I bet it will smooth with age. My white wine on the other hand...did not turn out so good. I think the Juice I used had preservatives in it, but I did have signs of active fermentation (the foaming, the bubbling of the airlock, sediment forming...) but that must have been the yeast eating the sugar I added? Anyways- the final product tasted like overly sweet juice with a slight alcoholy background. I bottled it anyways.
I racked my white grape/peach with honey off the lees and took a nice sip-- WhoooooWEEEE Hot but the after taste of honey and peaches will make the wait so worthwhile. I figure that it will just have to age a bit.
The apple raspberry that I did in September has a bitter after taste too, I wonder if it is a raspberry thing? Its not too terrible but it is not as smooth as I would like it.
But I just started another white grape/peach without extra sugar for the hubby who doesn't care for really high alcohol in his wine and another with white grape/peach with honey for me...
This hobby is almost getting out of hand-- the juice concentrates and juices available is so broad now that the combos could go on forever!
The apple raspberry that I did in September has a bitter after taste too, I wonder if it is a raspberry thing? Its not too terrible but it is not as smooth as I would like it.
But I just started another white grape/peach without extra sugar for the hubby who doesn't care for really high alcohol in his wine and another with white grape/peach with honey for me...
This hobby is almost getting out of hand-- the juice concentrates and juices available is so broad now that the combos could go on forever!
Jugger
Member
I love making the raspberry. However, I use 2 pounds of sugar per gallon with 2 cans of concentrate and standard yeast nutrient 1 tsp per gallon. I use Red Star Premier Cuv'ee for yeast. I let it work till clears then rack off to clean carboy and let it bulk age till I'm ready to bottle (usally 1 to 2 months). It is hot, sweet, and tasty. I plan to do a 12 gallon batch this spring to prime for spraking raspberry.
For a real treat fill a 2 liter bottle up to 3 inches of the top with finished wine, then place in the freezer. When the wine is half frozen take off the cap of the bottle and drill a few 1/8th holes in it. Return the cap to the half frozen bottle and then drain off the unfrozen product into a quart jar by tipping it upside down over the jar. bottle and enjoy a shot from time to time with your friends.
Jug
For a real treat fill a 2 liter bottle up to 3 inches of the top with finished wine, then place in the freezer. When the wine is half frozen take off the cap of the bottle and drill a few 1/8th holes in it. Return the cap to the half frozen bottle and then drain off the unfrozen product into a quart jar by tipping it upside down over the jar. bottle and enjoy a shot from time to time with your friends.
Jug
